The National Arts Club puts patriotism on explicit display with a new exhibit to feature the work of controversial artist Scott LoBaido. One of LoBaido’s paintings, "Have Faith," depicts President Bush as a cavalry soldier holding al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s severed head in one hand and a American flag in the other. LoBaido, 38, was arrested in 1999 after throwing horse manure at the exterior of the Brooklyn Museum of Art to protest its display of a painting of the Virgin Mary festooned with elephant dung. "I’m expressing myself creatively," he said as police led him away that day. Last year, LoBaido was arrested for hanging a large American flag on an awning outside the French Consulate as a sign of protest for what he considered France’s contempt for the U.S.-led war in Iraq. He is on one-year probation.
Now the artist has been given a more official platform for expressing his creativity. The Arts Club exhibit incorporates the American flag in almost every piece. A large canvas titled "The New York Giants" features former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a New York City firefighter and a police officer — all clad in armor and on horseback — in the midst of a battle scene. "Politics has always been bloody and we respect free speech and we think his activism through art is an exciting dimension," said National Arts Club President Aldon James. The exhibit debuted Tuesday and will remain on display until January 29.
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